Internet Safety

Issues for Community Groups

Elizabeth Butterfield

No one could attend a conference like Flaxroots Technology, produced so capably by the Department of Internal Affairs, and not come away feeling excited about the infinite possibilities of the Internet. The conference made clear the very real benefits of community groups using this technology to link to local, national and international communities. With the Internet there is a very real sense that we are only beginning to tap into the potential of cyberspace, but also there is a very real imperative that community groups jump in and ‘stake their claim’ along with .govt, .cos, and .orgs.

The statistic was bandied about recently that New Zealand has become the second largest Internet using nation in the world after the USA. This doesn’t seem surprising, given that Kiwis are notorious ‘quick-studies’. But is the Internet always a ‘safe’ place? New Zealand must be equally quick in educating its populace about Internet Safety issues, especially our children and young people, or the benefits of the Net will be overshadowed by the very real costs of this new frontier. Better to enjoy the wonderful possibilities the Internet offers, while minimising the negative aspects with pro-active education and information for those who explore cyberspace.

THE NEW ZEALAND INTERNET SAFETY KIT

In March 2000, the New Zealand Internet Safety Kit was sent to every school in New Zealand and a modified version to every library. This Kit was created by the Internet Safety Group (ISG), which includes representatives of government agencies, schools, community groups and businesses. The project was initiated by Auckland Rape Crisis and sponsored by the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, the New Zealand Police, and the Ministry of Education, and endorsed by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The goal of the Kit is to educate young people, parents, and the wider community through schools. The Kit focused on two particular safety issues.

• Paedophiles – people who sexually exploit children – are using the Net to meet children and young people here in New Zealand. As the Kit points out to young people, ‘that 13-year-old girl in your favourite chat room who asks for your photo and address may be a 45-year-old male sex offender’.
  
  
• There is a thriving trade in child pornography on the Internet. This objectionable material is illegal to possess in New Zealand. 25 -30% of those caught trading in child pornography in New Zealand are adolescent males.

The Internet Safety Kit is a compilation of documents both to educate and to help schools establish safe Internet environments. There are sample handouts for parents, primary students, and secondary students on Internet Safety in both English and Te Reo Maori. There are also sample Internet Use policies, Internet Use Agreements, protocols for when there is a problem with Internet use, and information for the staff in schools who are most likely to be overseeing the use of the Net. Because a school is the natural centre of its community, the initiatives by schools will hopefully support and encourage families and the local community to follow suit.

NETSAFE – THE PERMANENT new zealand INTERNET SAFETY WEBSITE

On the day the Kit was launched in Auckland by Mayor Chris Fletcher,

http://www.netsafe.org.nz/also made its debut. This website is the core of the Internet Safety Kit initiative. Schools, community groups, government agencies or individuals can visit this site and find information that has been developed by the Internet Safety Group after the Kit was produced. The entire contents of the Kit are posted here, in a variety of formats, so they can be easily downloaded and modified to meet the needs of a particular organisation.

As the site develops, it is becoming more interactive, incorporating ideas and feedback from visitors from New Zealand and all over the world, and offering a forum for queries or concerns. Visitors to the site have the option of calling 0508 Netsafe and asking their question verbally. The 0508 phone service will probably be phased out in the long-term, as the website becomes more interactive.

AFTER FLAXROOTS – COMMUNITY GROUPS AND THE NET

No doubt community group representatives went home from this conference feeling inspired by the possibilities of Internet links and the energy conveyed by the speakers and workshop facilitators. When everyone returned to their offices, there was probably a moment of sitting at a desk pondering what the next step would be. There are a lot of questions to ask when establishing yourself on the Internet, like:

• How do we fund this?
• Who do we offer Internet access to?
• When do we offer access?
• Do we develop a webpage or a website?
• What links do we offer?

There is also a whole different set of questions that would be good to ask at this development stage.

• Do we need an Internet Use Policy detailing what constitutes acceptable use of the Net for our workers? For those using public access?
  
  
• How do we communicate that Policy?
  
  
• What are our procedures for monitoring the use of our Internet? Do we have signed Use Agreements? Do we conduct random audits of the computers?
  
  
• What are our procedures if there is a problem with Internet use by a worker? By a Member of the Public?
  
  
• What can we do to educate those using the Internet about safety issues?

ARE INTERNET POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS OVERKILL FOR A SMALL COMMUNITY GROUP?

Some who read the above list of questions about procedures and policies may have thought the list was a bit ‘over the top’. Think again. You could possibly face any one of the issues below in just your first week of offering Internet access.

Here are a few incidents that are already occurring; consider how you would respond.

One of the students in your youth programme is being stalked and threatened by someone they met in a chatroom using your access.

That student’s safety was your responsibility when they were in your care. The student’s caregivers are upset and want advice on how to deal with this.

Someone sent defamatory messages to the Media and others about a local politician. You get word that a lawsuit has been filed against your group, because the messages came from your public access.

The local politician and his solicitor may be out for blood and your group is the only source that can be identified.

A young student downloaded age-restricted pornography from your public access, then e-mailed it to himself at a Hotmail address. He then downloaded and printed the material at school. He admitted he wanted to print the illegal images and sell them at the school, but the school’s ‘firewall’ prevented him from accessing it there.

The school contacts your group demanding to see your Internet monitoring procedures.

One of your employees has been trading in child pornography from your group’s computer. Inspectors from Internal Affairs Censorship Compliance come knocking at your door with a Search Warrant.

The staff of Censorship Compliance will endeavour to minimise the inconvenience to a community group in this situation, but, in some cases, seizure may be necessary.

These scenarios may seem alarmist, but they are certainly happening here in New Zealand. With a little foresight, community groups can protect themselves and those to whom they offer Internet access.

COMMUNITY GROUPS WORKING WITH YOUTH

If your community group is working with young people, you well know about ‘the paramountcy of children’ and the responsibility for ensuring their safety and well being. The issues are the same with offering young people Internet access. With basic safety education young people can explore the wonders of the Internet, use the incredible educational resources they will find there, and establish friendships with young people all over the globe – without one harmful experience.

An important part of safety education is what young people should do if something does turn scary or unpleasant on the Net. Hopefully, they will know to come to one of your staff members or volunteers, even if the experience didn’t occur through your group’s Internet access. A visit to Netsafe, the Internet Safety website, and a click on the Resources page, will reveal a number of community groups and government agencies with expertise about the Internet who are willing to help.

A community group is welcome to use any of the Internet Safety Kit documents, and modify them in ways that make them more appropriate for that group. Information can be sent home to parents and caregivers, and simple Online Safety Rules can be posted as reminders for young people using your group’s computers. For example, a posted reminder about not giving out personal information could make all the difference at that moment when a young boy is asked in a chatroom what school he goes to, or what his real name is.

Kids are naturally trusting, but caution is needed when establishing Internet friendships. There is no way to know for certain the age, or even the gender of those one meets in chatrooms.

• A 51-year old man was recently caught in Auckland lurking in chatrooms. He set up a meeting with a 13-year-old young boy, bringing pornography and condoms to the meeting place, only to find the boy was actually the Police.
  
  
• An Auckland educator had the surprising experience of receiving an e-mail from a man in the US who just wanted to let him know that the educator’s young son was giving out too much personal information in chatrooms (including his father’s e-mail address). The man overseas was concerned the young boy would be unsafe.

Two cases where no one was hurt, but they clearly point out the risks on the Net. Unfortunately, there are also cases where people have been hurt.

Here is one more word about chatrooms. Young people (and adults) assume a level of safety because a chatroom has a religious identity, which might explain the phenomenal growth recently in the number of Christian chatrooms. Caution needs to be used in these chatroom environments as much as in regular chatrooms. Sexual predators understand how people can let their guard down in a group with a religious common denominator – there seems almost an assumption by members that the group is ‘vetted’ somehow. Warm and lasting friendships can be established in these venues, but the need for caution is just as real here as elsewhere.

RESOURCES

All of the agencies who are represented on the Internet Safety Group are happy to offer assistance in setting up safe Internet access. Just visit the Internet safety website (there is a link on Community Net) or call 0508 Netsafe. Other community groups in your own region may be further down the track than you are, and perhaps could be asked for assistance. Public libraries and local schools, which are already offering Internet access, might have valuable suggestions on setting up a safe environment.

If your group belongs to local networks, try raising the issue there. You will certainly not be alone in using the Internet, and could offer each other assistance and support with this process.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

Keeping up with the advances in Internet technology is difficult, if not sometimes impossible. The rate of development is too rapid. Pity poor sociologists who are trying to study how the Internet is changing our society- by the time their studies are completed the technology has made another quantum leap.

Community groups need to hop aboard now or they, and the communities they serve, will be left behind. We in the community – whether whanau, iwi, community group, school, library, or government body – must establish an infrastructure for handling the Internet. If we then modify and add to that structure as the technology develops, then we control the Net, it does not control us.

If we all work to educate those new to this technology about basic safety issues, as we offer access, then we ensure that exploration of this technological frontier will always be safe and rewarding.

Send any questions or suggestions to Elizabeth at: queries@netsafe.org.nz